16/09/2026
How our wonderful street got its name.
Fun fact Wednesdays
WEIRD HISTORY WEDNESDAY 🤯
The Longstone of Lisburn 🪨
Long before the area was covered in houses, a large stone stood at the corner of what became Longstone Lane and Lismara Terrace. It was such a familiar local landmark that the lane, and later Longstone Street, took their names from it. The stone is recorded on old maps of Lisburn, including the 1833 map.
The Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum holds a 1906 postcard titled “The Longstone, Lisburn” and records that the original Longstone was removed sometime in the mid-19th century.
But here's where things get interesting...
A large stone known today as the Longstone still survives on Young Street. We believe this may actually be the same historic stone that once stood at Longstone Lane. There are local accounts linking the surviving stone with the old Longstone, although I haven't found enough evidence yet to say with absolute certainty that it is the original.
If it is the same stone, then a piece of Lisburn's landscape from more than 190 years ago has survived right through the town's expansion and is still sitting there today, hiding in plain sight.
Do you remember seeing the Longstone on Young Street, or have you heard the story of how it got there? 🪨
